


The Rule Of No Speech

by dreaminq



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: F/F, F/M, Implied Rape/Non-con, M/M, Modern AU, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Schizophrenia, There's also some subtle ships, VERY SLOW UPDATES I AM SO SORRY, Way too many characters wtf, also theres a lot of drama that happens and im proud, but they're not big enough to mention in the actual shipping tags, thats a lot later but oh well, theyre teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-07-26 23:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7594402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreaminq/pseuds/dreaminq
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After multitudes of tragedies on the island of Nevis, a young 15 year old Alexander Hamilton is sent to New York to hopefully become a new man. He's taken in by the kind Washingtons, and he's starting the experience with a rule. No speaking unless absolutely needed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unsure Beginning

'Alright, everything's going to be fine, Alex, everything's alright...' A young man with dark, brunette hair in a gray hoodie thought nervously as he sat in the social worker's office, waiting for his 'new foster parents' to come and whisk him away, away to wherever is better than wherever the hell he was right now.

He was only just 15, isn't that almost the legal adult age? Why should he need foster parents? Then again, he hadn't even started high school, gotten a job,- he didn't even have friends or money! You need tons of money to live at least a somewhat decent life, right?

The teen sighed, rubbing his arm a bit. 'It's for the best I have to live with some foster family. They could at least provide me with the things needed to survive. Other than that, why should they really have to care? I mean, who wants a random immigrant teen asking to be spoiled just because you have money?' He decided that he would try to keep to himself as much as possible, not annoying the family as well as he could.

He tried to do that with the families he was put with before he came to America. Unfortunately, that seemed to work a bit... Too well... Alex really did have to fend for himself then, begging for food, money, anything that could help him survive for at least a little longer. Thinking on it now, it's almost a miracle that hurricane came.

Yes, it did give him a kind of PTSD- even though that more or less started only a little bit after his mother died, growing worse after every new disaster that struck-, but because of it, he's now in America, in New York... Hopefully able to become a new man. And, if anything bad happens here, Alex could just repeat the steps he did to survive back in Nevis.

Yeah... Like if a tornado strikes, or everyone hates him, or if his foster parents abuse him, or- "Mister Hamilton? Are you ready to meet your new parents?" Alex snapped out of his trance, blinking up at the social worker who'd just called his name. 'New parents. Hah, yeah,' He thought, narrowing his eyes just a bit. Though still, the teen nodded, grabbing the backpack at his feet that was somewhat full of clothes and... A notebook and pencil. That was it.

Alex stood up, putting the pack on his back, and letting the social worker lead the way out of the office and into a different office. More like a lobby sort of area? There, the teen spotted a few more kids, milling around aimlessly. Some of color, some younger than him, some his age...

Bumping into the social worker in front of him, he lost his train of thought and backed up quickly. Alex leaned to the side a bit to see around the worker, whose name seemed to be 'Sammy', judging by their nametag. 'Their' as in, the teen couldn't quite figure out their gender... Maybe it was something off the 'normal' binary?

Anywho, Alex leaned to the side to see around Sammy, and at the massive, maybe late 30 year old, man and a woman with dark brown hair, like his own.

"Mr. And Mrs. Washington, this is Alexander Hamilton," Sammy started, smiling brightly, pushing Alex forward a bit so that he wasn't directly behind them, "We are so happy that you are able to take him in, at least for a few years if he behaves well!" 'Talking about me as if I'm not even here...' "He has a bag with some of his own clothes in it, but that's it. Again, thank you so much for being able to take him in! If you need anymore information than what you've already been told, feel free to call us," They finished, nodding in respect at who seemed to be Mr. Washington. Then they turned and walked past Alexander, back into their office. Leaving him with two adults he'd never met before in his life.

"Alexander, it's a pleasure to meet you! I'm George Washington, and this is my wife, Martha Washington," The man said, smiling at the teen and holding out a hand. Alex took it hesitantly, shaking it. He said nothing. As if he suddenly lost all power to speak, surprisingly.

George pulled back after a few moments, raising a brow at the fact Alex said nothing. Oh no, did he mess up? What is that look for? Should he have said- "It's alright if you're nervous Alex. We uh, we are too. We've never had kids before so we really have no experience with teens. Calling you Alex is fine, right?" George said, giving a, supposedly sympathetic smile. The teen nodded at his question. If these were his 'new parents', they should at least not have to call him Alexander... Though Mr. Washington is acting like him and his wife are going to be helping Alex...

That's what they all acted like, then they neglected him, then kicked him out of their house and left him to fend for himself... These people will be the same. Maybe even use him... Use his words and intelligence for their own good... He shouldn't show them his possible abilities. Don't let them use him, like how others have.

Martha, after a few moments of awkward silence, said in a calm, sweet voice, "I suppose we should take you home then, right?" Alex nodded again, adjusting the backpack on his shoulders slightly as they turned and led him out the doors of the building.

\--

The car ride to their home was rather... Quiet. It gave Alex time to think, though, which was a plus. Honestly, he was rather nervous, scared, unsettled... He wanted to have a good life here. He wanted the Washingtons to like him and not feel as if he were just a burden.

Kinda funny to think how just a few months back, he was the most talkative person in the world, practically never shutting up. Only a few weeks after his cousin died did a major change happen. The families he was put with, back on Nevis, really did not enjoy his constant rambling and thoughts and ideas. So, they kicked him out, leaving him to fend for himself and look for another family to stay with.

It was only one family he kind of enjoyed staying with. It was just a dad with a single son that he got along with rather well. In fact, because of that family, he had just started his habit of nonstop talking again... And then the hurricane struck. The kid and dad were killed in it, but Alex... He couldn't seem to die. It was almost a sign- a sign that he needed to keep his words to himself or else everyone he loved would be killed.

His father left, his mother fell to fever, his cousin committed suicide, him and his brother were separated, he had to fend for himself, and then finally when things were looking up, the hurricane destroyed everything...

Luckily, he used his words on paper, he wrote his way out of his tragedies, out of Nevis. The people took pity on him, the words he wrote were beautiful, and so they joined together, raising money to send him off their forgotten island and to the mainland. To America. To New York.

God, he hoped his mother could see him now. She would be so proud of him, of his achievements...

If he could save the people around him's lives by not speaking a word, then he would stick to that. Plus, the kids in this foster home he was in hated him anyways. They made fun of him, his past, his speech...

It's best not to talk. If his speaking killed people, if he was constantly berated for his words, then he would not speak. It's for the best. Plus, he could write, right? That seemed to be the only good solution...

But, little did Alex know, that 'rule' of no speaking would not last very long at all.

Words: 1360  
Total: 1360


	2. Breaking The Rule

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex arrives at his new home, and of course, something kinda bad happens.

Just because Alex couldn't speak, didn't mean he couldn't write, right? Well, that seemed to be the case, cause how else did he survive Nevis and leave to New York? And that's why, after about two minutes into the silent drive, Alex unzipped his pack and pulled out his notebook and pencil.

They were gifts from the father and son on Nevis. Their names were Thomas and Edward Stevens, respectively. In actuality, Alex wasn't sure what happened to Edward. He had just... Disappeared during the hurricane. Maybe he's still alive, actually? Odd.

Alex looked up a bit, out the window. They were just coming up to a sign that read, 'Hamilton County welcomes you!' He snorted. So they'd be living in a place with his last name... Funny. But, it did look pretty nice. It wasn't an urban area like he'd expected, more like the suburbs. Lots of different colors in the leaves on the trees... Reds, yellows, orange... Some trees were already bare. It hadn't been like this on Nevis, there it was usually green leaves and always hot/warm.

Here, however, it was freezing. It was only, what, November 11th? 13th? And it was already cold as all hell- nothing like Alex had ever experienced. Heh, his mother would have liked it here. She didn't like the heat on Nevis one bit, and the leaves were always green. Always the same colors.

Now, they were approaching a small looking neighborhood. Many different house colors and types... Blues, brick, stones, wood, yellows, white... Plus, all of them looked pretty nice. This must be at least a high ranked middle-class town. Is this where the Washingtons live? God, he must be lucky that someone with this much money decided to take him in.

There looked to be a few individual houses, as well as some duplexes. Alex was still surveying the area in awe when he felt the car turn. It looked like they were at their destination; his new home. It was a house of pretty good size, with a large garage door and a nice looking front. It seemed to be at least two stories, as well.

While stuffing his notebook back into his pack and zipping it up, Alex heard George say, "Well, here we are. This is where you'll be staying, son."

The last word irked the teen, so he muttered, "Don't call me son." That earned him a raised eyebrow and chuckle from the man in the driver's seat.

The car was then shut off and the three stepped out of it. They all walked up to the front door, Alex behind the couple. He stared down at his feet, a bit disappointed that he already made a bad impression of himself in front of the people who agreed to take care of him.

Frowning, he mumbled, "Sorry." George stopped his tracks of opening the door and turned to give the teen a look of confusion.

"What for?" He asked, frowning slightly.  
"I back talked you. I'm sorry for that, sir."  
"Oh, Alex, don't be sorry. It should be me apologizing. I'm the one who called you son; I didn't think about it. I call most of my students 'son', so it was force of habit."  
"But, sir,-"  
"Alexander, please. You don't need to call me sir, call me George."  
"A-alright, si- I mean, George."  
George let out a chuckle and shook his head. Alex looked confused at this action. He didn't understand these people. Even Martha was smiling brightly, as if the teen had done nothing wrong.

After that little series of actions, George finished opening the door and let his wife and 'son' inside. Alex was wide eyed, his mouth slightly agape. The inside looked so... So nice! He hadn't seen something like this in... In ever! There was a living room right to the right, some stairs leading upwards to the left. A very nice looking kitchen directly ahead, and from there you had a rail to stop you from falling from way to look down into an even nicer living room.

Martha seemed to be holding in laughter as she approached Alex and joined him in leaning on the railing. "You never see anything like this?" She asked, smiling at him.

"No... Never. Back on Nevis, it was a pretty poor area I was in, so this is... This is stunning. I'd never dreamed of living in a house as nice as this," he replied, still awestruck with the house.

"It is a very nice house... We even recently redid it. Changed a few things here and there," Martha said casually, gesturing to a couple different objects.

Alex shook his head, speechless. "I'm... At a loss of words for once," he said quietly, looking up at Martha now. He could see out of the corner of his eye that George was in the room now, leaning against a series of cabinets.

"For once?" The man asked, smiling at the teen.

Alex turned and raised a brow. "Well, yeah, I mean, a lot of people say I talk nonst-..." He cut himself off, suddenly remembering something. The rule of no speech. He'd broken it. He hadn't even been in New York for more than a week and a half and he'd already broken it. In fact, he probably already set a date for the Washingtons' death. They're going to die now, because of him. He practically already murdered them.

He stared downwards, breaths growing quick and shallow. He felt lightheaded, like he could faint at any moment. But this is nothing compared to what the Washingtons will go through. They're probably going to die tragically, slowly, painfully. Alex could already see it. Trapped, burning to death in a spiked chamber. They were screaming in agony, they were calling his name, begging for him to listen.

"Alex! Alexander! Can you hear us, can you hear me?" George screamed. His body was charred, skin was flaking off, bit by bit.

"Hey, Alex, please, you're fine. It's going to be okay," Martha said that. Not as loudly as George, but still screaming. He knew he himself was fine, but them- they're burning to death, the spikes growing longer every second, piercing into their bodies until-

Something touched his hand. It was a soft feeling hand. Looking down, he could see it was Martha's. But... It wasn't broken. It wasn't charred, it was completely fine.

"Alexander, everything is fine. There's nothing to be worried about. We're okay, you're okay, it's all good," Martha's soothing voice cooed. It wasn't screaming, it wasn't loud. It was quiet and calm.

Alex traced her hand up to her body. Then to her chin. Then to her eyes. They weren't on fire. They weren't ashes. Everything was okay. Same could be said for George; completely normal.

"But... You... You were on fire, you were being killed, you were dying tragically all because of me!" Alex stammered out quickly, trying to remember how to breath correctly. One two in, one two out, one two in, one two out...

George put a hand on Alex's knee- which then made him realize he was sitting on the floor, and they were crouched down- and said calmly, "We aren't dying, Alex. We're fine, and you can trust us when we say you won't be the cause of our deaths. Alright?"

Alex let out a shaky breath and replied, "Alright."

Martha let go of his hand and smiled warmly at him, same as George. "So you aren't mad?" Alex asked, looking up at the two with pitiful eyes.

George shook his head. "Over you having a panic attack which caused you to hallucinate? No, Alexander, we would never be mad at you for doing that. It wasn't even your fault," he said, looking down at said teen.

"But," Alex started, "it is my fault! If I hadn't and wasn't breaking my rule of no talking, then I wouldn't be the cause of your deaths! And I saw you die with my own eyes- I caused myself to see that because it's what'll happen to you- because of me!"

Putting a hand on Alex's shoulder, Martha spoke calmly again, saying, "Hey, hey, hey, slow down, Alex. No one's dying because of you talking. Nothing bad will happen. Okay?"

The teen was still very unsure. "I-I guess... Okay..." He looked to the side, still nervous about speaking too much.

Now George spoke, "Plus, I can tell you have a great bit of intelligence, and it's only best if you put all of that smartness and knowledge to words and letters."

Alex gave the slightest bit of a smile, the first one he'd given since he'd been picked up by the Washingtons. "Okay, George, I'll do my best," he said simply, now looking back up at the large man.

Man, he must be at least like, 6'4? Alex himself was only 5'5 last he checked, and so Martha couldn't be much taller than him... Maybe 5'7 or so?

Thinking back on the matter at hand, Alex decided it was best to get off the kitchen floor, so he picked himself up and brushed himself off. Not much to wipe off of him though, considering the floor was extremely clean.

"So, Alexander," George started, clapping his hands together, "Would you like to see your room?"

The teen blinked. His very own room? Jesus, what next, his very own computer?! Well, when the adult led Alex to his room, he was in for a surprise. His own closet, dresser, bed, desk... And no... Could it be?

It was a laptop. Dark, shiny silvery color. Laying on the desk, as well as two journals and a few pencils/pens.

"Holy..." Alex stood stiff, staring at the room and its contents. The teen spun around and hugged George tightly. "Thank you, thank you so much, thank..." He trailed off, letting go of his foster parent and looking up at him with tears welling in his eyes. God, this was all too much. This was too kind of them, he didn't deserve all of this. A tear began to run down his face so he scrambled to wipe his eyes free of any more that threatened to fall.

George looked at Alex happily and said, "It's no problem, Alex. Anything for you, kid." Martha stood next to him in the doorway with the same level of fondness in her eyes.

The teen smiled widely at him. They were so kind. It was honestly rather surprising to the teen. They had just met him- hell, they didn't even know him when they got him all of this! He felt like just breaking down and crying out of happiness right then and there.

"Oh Alex," George said, suddenly remembering something, "Just wanted you to know that there will be two kids your age coming and staying over for the week while their parents are out of town. They're coming late tonight, at around... 10 or so?"

Alex nodded. He could do that. In fact, maybe he could make new friends! This day was going much better than expected, and he was definitely going to relish it while he still could.

"Okay. Again, thank you so much for taking me in and getting all this for me and..." He trailed off, once again unable to come up with words to respond to their kindness with.

The two smiled at him again, and George said, "Like I said, Alex, anything for you is worth it, kid. Alright?"

The teen couldn't control himself any longer and finally let the tears flow. He smiled as best as he could while crying a river, and went forward again to hug his foster father.

"Alright," He replied, closing his eyes tight, proud of himself for making good use of his words and basically laughing in the face of possible death because of talking.

In all honesty, he might just scrap that rule of no speech. Nothing can stop Alexander Hamilton from speaking, not even death itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ohhh good lord i am so happy about all the views and kudos and shit this story is getting, honestly thank you all SOO SO MUCH DUDES! i wish i could express my gratitude even more but i cant D:  
> back on the topic of the story however, i'm still really happy in the direction this is going. I'm trying to stick to lots of facts so i have to continuously do research and the likes... I mean, my search history just looks like i'm studying for a test on the revolution and looking up a vacation spot in New York.  
> But yeah, other than that, hope you guys are liking the fanfic! And please, give me constructive criticism! Tell me if its too ooc or too away from facts... And i'm taking a few liberties here too, aight?  
> Also, message me on my tumblr if you wanna talk about the story, or anything along those lines!: http://www.dreaminq-ink.tumblr.com
> 
> But yeah so... Have a great day guys and peace out fuckerssss!


	3. The Frenchie, Tailor, and Hallucinations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexander meets some old friends... and new ones.

Alex knew he couldn't tell them. He knew he couldn't tell the Washingtons about the problem he has. The problem was, unfortunately, the reason he hallucinated back there... Honestly, the hallucinations had stopped for a long time. Today was the first one in weeks...

The teen was sitting on his bed, back against the headboard. He took out his notebook again, figuring he should capture today's events while he still could... But, of course, that wouldn't last more than 10 minutes. And he needed much more time than that.

"Alexander! It's been so long!" Oh jesus christ almighty. First the panic attack/hallucination, and now he's back. It's been weeks, so why now all the sudden?!

"Alex? Hey, whatcha doin?" Said teen started curling in on himself, hoping that maybe if he ignored the person, he would go away. But, after the faint feeling of something on his knee, he decided that was not the case.

Alex muttered into his hands, "What do you want?" The person let out a happy chuckle.

"Well for starters, I haven't been able to talk to you in weeks!"  
"Good."  
"Hey, what's wrong?"  
"..."  
"Aaaalex, come on..."

The teen finally snapped out of his previous position and glared at the man, sitting on the bed, in front of him. He basically looked exactly like Alex, except about 20 years older. And his name was Lin. Lin-Manuel Miranda, if we wanted to be specific.

"Everyone thought I was insane because of you guys, I mean hell, I probably am!" Alex hissed, trying not to be too loud. The Washingtons were just downstairs, in that little living room area. Sure, the door was closed, but still.

Lin let out another chuckle and said, "But Alex, we both know you aren't. You just have an illness caused by all the crap you've gone through. You're fairly normal, kid." Alex sighed. Damn it, why did his hallucination have to be so right? And so real...

"Hey, where... Where are the others? I mean, you can't be the only one here, right?" The teen asked quietly, a bit confused. Usually, they traveled with him in a group of at least two or more. That is, until a few weeks ago, when he was sent to New York. Then the amount of them started diminishing as Alex stuck to his rule of no speech.

Suddenly, it struck him. That's why they started going away. He stopped talking. And so only recently, when he started talking again, Lin came back. Just like how he was the first to appear, and the last to leave. Alex looked up at the person in front of him, who just happened to be nodding, saying Alex was right with his thoughts.

The teen tilted his head a bit and stated, "So that means, if I keep talking, they're all going to come back?" Lin nodded and smiled. "Yep!"

"Even the company...?" Alex added, frowning.

"Sadly, yes," The man shrugged and looked away, making a 'Tch' sound.

Sighing, Alex looked up at the clock on his wall. It read 5:26 pm. When were those kids supposed to come...? Ten? At the foster home, food was served at 6pm sharp. The teen wondered if it was the same here... But they probably wouldn't have the same rule of 'you come to dinner late, you get no food for the rest of the day.' But sometimes, Alex wondered if it was even worth it to eat their food. It had tasted fairly bad, and he should know.

At that point in foster care, Alex just started skipping meals altogether. He probably only weighed about 90 some pounds at this point... Heh. At least he was used to not eating for long amounts of time, so the Washingtons won't have to waste time and money on food for him.

"Hey, kid," Lin started, "You know if they offer food, you should take all of it, right?" He tilted his head slightly, raising a brow as well.

Alex nodded and murmured, "I guess... But what if I seem too greedy? What if they hate me because I ask for too much?" He looked up at Lin with worry in his eyes.

The man rolled his eyes and leaned forward to grab Alex's shoulder reassuringly. "Alex, they aren't gonna hate you. George even said, 'Anything for you is worth it,' remember?"

"Yeah, but maybe he was just being polite. He probably doesn't actually mean it," Alex responded, still set on the idea that the Washingtons are just being polite. Then they're gonna get mad at him and use him and kick him out and--

"Alexander. They are not and are never going to hate you. Please stop telling yourself otherwise," Lin stared into Alex's eyes, set on making him appreciate himself for once and not feel like a burden. God, he was so real... Could it even be that maybe he's just a ghost or something?

Alex sighed. It was a hard habit to break, constantly berating and thinking lowly of yourself. He snorted. Yeah, and of course it’s just a hallucination telling him that he matters and is liked by others. Why couldn’t he just be normal, why couldn’t he have ACTUAL friends and ACTUAL people who cared for him like his hallucinations do? The Washingtons don’t count just yet-- he hasn’t seen their true intentions.

But, unlike real people, the hallucinations will likely never leave him. As long as he’s talking and alive, then they’ll be here. No matter how annoying they get to be… But alas, sometimes their company is nice. Hell, even the Company is likeable at times. Not often, but at least they seem to care for him somewhat, helping him make decisions and helping him know what people's’ personalities are before he even meets them.

Lin gave him a small smile, hand still on the teen’s shoulder. “Come on Alex, you and I both know that there are people who care for you, and maybe even people you haven’t met yet who WILL care for you in the future. It takes time, kid,” He murmured softly, leaning backwards and taking his hand off of Alex.

Said teen shrugged and gave a tiny smirk and muttered, “But I don’t like waiting.” The man in front of him rolled his eyes at Alex and sighed, exasperated. The teen snickered lightly and tilted his head a bit.

“Sometimes, I wonder why I even try to help you,” Lin scoffed, furrowing his brows and smiling brightly. He crossed his arms and sat with his legs crossed as well. Just in that moment, there was knocking at the door. The both of them turned their heads to look at it, and Alex slowly stated, “You can come in.”

Honestly, Lin seemed so lifelike and real that the teen was surprised when George walked in and never mentioned the man. He did say though, “Alright Alex, dinner is prepared and set on the table, if you’re ready to eat. And if you don’t mind me asking, I swore I heard you talking to someone?”

Alex could literally feel his heart sink in his chest. Paling considerably, he murmured, “I… was just talking out loud, sir-- George.” His hands started shaking a bit, so he gripped onto the bed sheet as tightly as he could to stop them somewhat… though that didn’t work out too well. George obviously noticed this and turned his head in confusion. Lin just sat patiently, staring at Alex’s foster father. Even though he was the one trying to convince Alex that the Washingtons cared for him, Lin looked a bit suspicious of George himself.

“Are you gonna eat now?” Lin leaned over and whispered to Alex, who was still looking at George, who said, “Alright Alex, I won’t push if you don’t want me to…” Well, it was obvious that he didn’t believe the teen. Alex cringed a bit, frowning at his reaction.

“Yeah, I’ll come and eat,” He stated, glancing at Lin from the corner of his eye. His foster father gave a small grin and turned around, heading out of Alex’s new room, leaving the door open. Once the teen was no longer able to hear his footsteps, he whispered to Lin, “Like I said, I’m gonna go eat, okay? You can come, but please don’t make it awkward for me.”

Lin let out a bark of laughter, and held a hand to his chest. He was still smiling when he looked at Alex and told him, “Jeeze Alex, don’t be so worried. I’m just gonna watch them… and you… to make sure nothing bad happens. And who knows, maybe some more of us will start to appear. In fact, I was talking with Daveed not too long ago…”

Alex pursed his lips and glanced away from Lin. In all honesty, Daveed was pretty cool. He could rap the speed of light and put on this funny french accent from time to time. The teen looked back up at the man in front of him and gave a small smile, then said quietly, “I’ll be happy to have him back with me… At least he’s funny.”

With that, Alexander slid off the bed and reached for his ponytail. He adjusted it to where it wouldn’t fall out at any moment it could, then he started towards the exit of his room. The teen glanced back at Lin, who was also just stepping off the bed. When he noticed Alex was watching him, he looked up and beamed at him, then moved to stand behind him.

Once Lin was following him, Alex went out of his room, down the stairs, and through the living room to get to the dining table he had seen earlier. Sure enough, George and Martha were already seated and eating their dinner. He gave an embarrassed smile, knowing he was at least 5 minutes or more late for dinner. Hopefully they wouldn’t mind too much…

“Oh, George, Martha, I am so sorry for being late to dinner,” He apologized quickly and took his seat at the end of the table. George shook his head, smiling a bit, and assured him, “No need to apologize, Alexander.”

Alex looked down at the food for the first time, and jesus christ it looked good. Peas, roast beef, and mashed potatoes with gravy poured all over the top of it. At this point, the teen had never thought he’d have this good of food ever in his life. But now… Seeing it laid so casually out in front of him made him think that this was no extraordinary dish to the Washingtons. In fact, they probably eat this every week, considering the way they were eating it without relishing the fact they got to eat such a delicacy… Well, maybe it’s not a delicacy? Just to Hamilton it is, then.

Well, there wasn’t much talking during dinner. More like the Washingtons try to hold in laughter as Alex tries to wolf down the food as politely as he can… Which didn’t quite work as well as he thought it would. After finishing almost all of his plate, he looked up slightly to see George and Martha on the verge of laughing while watching him. The teen could feel his face start to burn up, and he glanced to the right of him to see Lin snickering. Oh jesus christ, all eyes were on him… And he swore he felt someone watching him from directly behind his back.

Thinking back to what he and his hallucination were talking about before he went to eat, made him pale. If he was here, right behind him, and all eyes were on him… This was a recipe for disaster. And of course, not a moment too soon…

“EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR AMERICA’S FAVORITE FREESTYLIN’ RAPPER! DAVEED DIGGS!” There he goes. ‘And, if my calculations are correct…’ Was Alex’s final thought before he braced himself as his second hallucination vaulted over Alex’s shoulders and onto the dining table, somehow not knocking anything over. He put put both of his arms in the air, his fists hitting the ceiling but making no noise.

Then he turned, looked down at Alex, and snickered, “Come on, you gotta admit that was pretty awesome. Also, I missed talkin to ya, kid.” Alex wanted to slam his head down on the table, but then George and Martha would be very confused and maybe mad at him for doing that? So he didn’t. But after looking past the man on the table and at his foster parents, he could tell they were a bit confused already.

“Uh, Alex, is something wrong…?” Martha asked, turning her head a bit in confusion. George was looking at the teen with a frown and furrowed brows. It was obvious that he thought something was going on and they didn’t realize it.

The teen nodded and stated, “Everything’s fine. Just… have the chills…?” He hated lying to his foster parents after they’ve been so nice to him and all, but honestly, it’s probably best they don’t know about Alex’s schizophrenia. At least not yet.

Daveed was still standing on the table, watching the scene play out before him in amusement. Lin was standing by Alex’s side, just gazing at the Washingtons with suspicious eyes. George looked at Martha for a moment and shared eye contact, then turned back to his foster son and murmured lightly, “Alright. But please tell us if there’s anything going on that we should know about… at least when you’re ready. Okay, Alexander?”

Nodding slowly, Alex looked away from everyone, rubbing his arm in nervousness. He shouldn’t lie to them, but what if they reacted badly? What if they didn’t want some secretly insane immigrant orphan in their home and kicked him out, leaving him to fend for himself? The best choice right now seemed to be to wait it out, as much as he didn’t want to. Just wait for the right moment to tell them.

Looking down at his plate, Alex realized he’d finished everything. It felt like it’d only been a few minutes, but it was probably more like 20 or so. After a moment, he asked the Washingtons, “May I be excused?” To which they both nodded, giving him a small smile each. He returned the smile and turned around, heading towards the stairs.

Once he was safely back in his room, he closed the door behind him and turned to see Daveed and Lin sitting on his bed. He closed his eyes tightly and hissed, “What in the hell was that? What in the hell were you doing down there? Don’t you realize they don’t know about you and could kick me out if they do?” 

He clenched his fists and stared up at Daveed, looking somewhat surprised at Alex’s behavior. He opened his mouth to speak, but the teen continued. “I will not stand for this, you damned hallucinations. You can come back, but if you do, you better not fuck my new life up…!” He was red in the face, completely burning up at this point. He was just really pissed off at the hallucination for making a scene in front of people that don’t know about him.

The man, instead of looking guilty, gave a smirk and sneered, “Even more feisty than when we last talked, it seems. I can’t quite help it, Alex. Plus, if I’m just a hallucination, doesn’t that mean that I’m just something your own mind has made to fuck with you? Technically then, you’re ruining your own life.”

Alex only snarled in reply, scowling at Daveed and glaring at him with fire in his eyes. Sometimes, he couldn’t stand these people. They’re all assholes. Annoying assholes who just wanted to ruin his life. Lin on the other hand, did seem somewhat upset with the other hallucination sitting next to him. He could obviously tell that Daveed was being more of an asshole today, and it was not the time to be fucking with the young Hamilton.

The teen glanced at the clock on his wall, still red with anger. 6:32 pm. He’d have the pass the time however he could for about three and a half hours until those kids came over. Honestly, he hoped they liked him. And that his hallucinations wouldn’t get in the way of him making possible new friends… To survive, you at least need allies, if not exactly friends.

Lin softly asked Alex, “Hey, kid, are you alright?” Said teen whipped back around to face him and he scoffed, “No, I’m not fine. Daveed could have just ruined my chances to being free of any questions from the Washingtons. Now they’re all suspicious of me, probably that I’m insane or some shit like that, so no, Lin, I’m not alright.” He growled all of that so quickly that he slurred some of the words, finally exploding from not talking for so damned long.

The man frowned a bit, lowering his brows in hurt. Alex simply clenched his teeth together and looked away, not standing to look at the hallucination. Either of them. As helpful as they could be, his life would be much better if they weren’t in it. If they didn’t even exist. And they wouldn’t exist if his father hadn’t left, if his mother didn’t die, if nothing bad at all happened on Nevis-- Hell, he was even content with being poor and hardly seeing his mother, the difference was, though, that he would still GET to see his mother. The hallucinations could never fix the hole that found its way into his heart when she passed away. No one could.

He thought all of this in just a few short seconds, growing slowly from angered to sullen. He knew he couldn’t change anything that had happened back on the island. It was just how things worked. Tragedy after tragedy, but sometimes there was just a small bit of hope that shone through. Maybe in America he would find that feeling. The feeling that everything was going to be okay. Honestly, Alex could only hope at this point.

Maybe these thoughts were what left him to mumble an almost inaudible, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.” He still had his back facing them, not wanting to let anyone see himself right now. Especially them.

He felt a hand gently pat his back though, which made him jump slightly, the sudden touch shocking him. Turning his head just the slightest, he saw Daveed there, and not Lin, which genuinely surprised him. “Yeah, I’m sorry too, little guy. I… I don’t really even have an excuse. I just wanted to make an entrance and didn’t think about anything else,” He sighed, lips pursed together.

Alex was still frowning as he gave a quick, “S’okay,” meaning he at least somewhat forgave the hallucination. Somewhat… Looking away again, he rubbed his arm in guilt and sadness. He could feel Daveed squeeze his shoulder then let go, moving back to sit with Lin on the bed.

The teen sighed and turned his head to his new desk, looking specifically at the laptop on the top of it. “Hey,” he started, breaking the long moment of silence, “How about we figure out how to get that new laptop set up?” Lin smiled in response and Daveed said cooly, “Sure.”

\--

About an hour or more had passed since that argument, and now the teen and hallucinations were gathered around the laptop, just making the finishing touches to his personal profile. The laptop was a Windows 7 computer, and after looking up what Windows 10 looked like, he knew 7 was better. Daveed thought otherwise.

“You could always just download a 30 day trial and see if you like it or not…” He suggested, tilting his head and looking away. Alex simply rolled his eyes and sighed in reply, “No. It looks stupid and I’m not going to use a stupid thing like that.” Daveed just huffed at that comment.

Looking at the time again, it looked like it was 8:14 pm. Just about two more hours until the other teens come! For some reason, Alex was actually rather excited about that. He really wanted to meet some other people his age, and hopefully become friends with him. But then again, what if they hate him? What if they don’t like his ideas and opinions, or his habit of talking all the time? Do they even know that he’s going to be here?

Again, it would probably be best if he didn’t talk. Just… stay quiet. At least for a while? Or maybe not come out of his room. That would be another good solution. Just… never meet them. Yeah… He could do that…

“Alex, you know you can’t do that,” Lin said, eyes squinted. ‘Fuck.’ The hallucination rolled his eyes. “Come on kid, you’ve gotta at least /meet/ them. Otherwise, how will you know if they like you or not?” The teen in question shrugged and murmured, “I guess…”

“Alex, little guy, come on man. You never know about these kinds of things. Plus, I’m sure they’ll love ya, you’ve just got to believe in yourself!” Daveed spoke next, grabbing Alex’s shoulders from behind and shaking him just a bit. Alex hated it when people did that, and Daveed was very aware of that fact.

 

The teen sighed and ignored him as best as he could, turning his attention back to the laptop on his lap. He was about to look at a few of the already installed programs when there was a sudden sound of a doorbell. It was rather loud, considering he could hear it from upstairs with his door closed. Who could that even BE at this hour? It’s only 8:20… Unless…

“Hello, hello, Mister and Miss Washington! Thank you so much for letting us stay with you!” The voice had a french accent, and, well, he was speaking in french. Luckily, Alex was fluent in french so he could understand it… Said teen was focusing only on the voice, not paying attention to Daveed or Lin who were sitting next to him and trying to get him to look at them. 

Next, a softer but gruff voice spoke. “...I didn’t understand much of that. But thank you, Mr and Mrs Washington. We both really appreciate you letting us stay over for the week,” They said, with what sounded like a smile on their face. Maybe if he could at least sneak out into the hallway and hope they didn't see him from the top of the stairs? Honestly, these two were sparking his curiosity greatly, so if he could just see them…

George let out a chuckle, “Why Laf, Hercules, come in! I didn’t think you’d be coming til later?” He shut the door, so it sounds like they're inside now.

“Oh, monsieur George! I am so sorry for that, we just were so bored and so he suggested we head over straight away,” The french one apologized, going into english now.

“And Laf insisted they bake something for you guys--” The gruff voice was interrupted.

“SPECIFICALLY, for the arrival of your fils adoptif, monsieur Alexander! Ever since you told moi about him, I have been dying to meet the nouveau venu!” The one supposedly named Laf exclaimed, voice dripping with eagerness and curiosity. So they knew about him… How much, though?

Alex’s foster father let out another small chuckle and replied, “Alex is in his room right now. Though it may be best to wait just a bit…” He trailed off, so it was obvious he was saying something quietly about Alex. Definitely something bad, that was for sure. And with his behavior at dinner, it was pretty obvious he needed the judgement and most likely harsh words. He was probably telling them about how annoying he was, or how weird, or… Or anything that the teen knew was a big flaw in him. And he has way too many of those to even count. The teen felt a gentle hand land on his shoulder, and he assumed it was Lin trying to comfort him.

He heard a loud gasp and then, “Oh, poor Alexander! Oui, that is absolutely fine. We can wait. I would still love to meet him as soon as possible though, monsieur George.” Well now Alex was struck with a pang of guilt. He didn’t want to keep the other people waiting… but at the same time, what if they didn’t like him? What if their expectations were set too high, and so they’ll be disappointed when they meet him? Oh god… that would be the worst. So many things could go wrong, so many things could screw up… and he’s only been here one day!

“Hey,” it was Daveed, “Alex, it’s gonna be fine. They’re gonna love you, man! Just go out there and make some friends, kid!” And somehow, with that, Alex closed the laptop and placed it to the side, sluggishly dropped off his bed, and trudged to the door. He paused, looked back at his two hallucinations, who were directly behind him, and turned the handle of the door. He was as quiet as could be, which was even easier because of the carpeted floor, as he approached the top of the stairs. Cautiously, he sat down, able to see into the living room where George and the two teens were seated. They didn’t see him yet though, which was a plus.

It was easy to guess which one was Hercules and which one was Laf. The supposed Laf looked basically like Daveed, black with what could be like an afro if their hair wasn't pulled back. They wore more like what would be considered feminine clothes, though had the looks and voice of a male, so Alex didn’t want to assume genders straight away.

The one Alex assumed was Hercules was of a darker skin tone, and he seemed fairly muscular… You wouldn’t want to be on bad terms with him. He had a gray beanie on, so it was a bit hard to see what his hair looked like.

It sounded like Martha was in the kitchen, washing dishes maybe? But back to the newcomers.

They were discussing something, though the teen had missed what it was. After about a minute, George asked, “So what did you bake for us?” Laf smiled widely.

“Oho! Well, I decided to bake some brownies, since I know how much you love them. Plus, It seemed like a type of treat no one could resist. Oui, I hope notre cher, Alexander, likes them…” He paused, frowning just slightly, though it immediately went away as he continued, “Oh, I am so excited to meet him! Ahah! I cannot contain my excitement, Je m'excuse!” He looked and sounded very giddy as he said this, and it was obvious he was simply dying to meet Alexander.

George simply chuckled at this, while Hercules started cracking up. “Oh Lafayette, you are hilarious. If you would like, I could try and see if he wants to come down and meet you?” Lafayette nodded vigorously, and Alex’s foster father added, “Just remember what I said, and please don’t bug him too much, okay?” Hercules and Laf both nodded at this. George started to stand up, and that made Alex realize he was still seated on the top of the stairs.

Oh crap. What if he got in trouble for eavesdropping? Then they would hate him and wouldn’t talk to him and-- 

“Alexander? Well, it looks like our new family member is already here!” The man smiled warmly at the teen, who had gone pale in nervousness and shock. “You want to come meet Lafayette and Hercules?” As he offered this, Alex could see Laf’s grin widen even more somehow, and Hercules was now beaming up at the stairs. It was dark up there, so it was fairly hard to see all of Alex’s details. However it was easy to see that he nodded, albeit hesitantly.

The teen stepped down the steps and very slowly made his way into the living room, standing right by a single couch/chair. Gulping, he sat down at stared at the boys in front of him, who were sitting on a full sized couch. Lafayette was grinning like and madman, while Hercules was observing the teen carefully.

“Well, I’ll leave you boys to it, then,” George chuckled, walking out of the room and into the kitchen to help Martha clean up a bit.

Lafayette was the first one to begin speaking. “You are Alexander, I presume? Oho, my dear friend, I have been dying to meet you ever since George told us about you on Wednesday! Are you liking it in New York? Any difficulties thus far? Don't the Washingtons make the most spectacular of foods? Oh, and where are my manners? Yes, yes, I am Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, but you can call me Lafayette or Laf for short!” He exclaimed in almost one breath, as well as in french. Hercules nudged him in the side and whispered, “English, Laffy.”

The frenchman was about to apologize profusely, when Alex cut in and murmured, “Yes, my name is Alexander Hamilton. As to answer your questions, New York is nice so far, I… Can’t state anything yet, and I agree, their food is very nice. Pleasure to meet you, Lafayette.” He gave a small smile, and Lafayette giggled, giddy about finally meeting such a legend.

Hercules was frowning slightly, however. Alex noticed this straight away and quickly stammered, “S-sorry, didn’t mean to ramble, or-or speak in french. Really sorry, about that.”

The teen sitting beside Laf looked confused for a moment, and then let out a bark of laughter. “No need to apologize, Alex. That’s completely fine. Now I have another person who can teach me french. Anyway, my name is Hercules Mulligan. Really nice to finally meet you, man,” He was smiling brightly now, no longer quite eyeing Alex and noticing anything out of the normal. Hercules prided himself on that, easily able to pick up on things such as emotions, physical things, etc. It was pretty easy to tell the teen in front of him was extremely out of it currently. Hands fidgeting just the slightest, a forced smile, eyes darting to the sides every few seconds…

It even looked like he was seeing someone that wasn’t really there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: can this chapter tide you over for a while...


	4. Flash Of The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit goes down when Alex remembers his stupid rule. Also, John.

Part 1: Intro to John

‘Alright, okay, you can do this John, you can do this…’ A young man with dark brown hair poofing out of a ponytail in a light gray jacket thought anxiously as he sat on his bed, in his room. He was trying to build up the courage to tell his dad something he knew he wouldn’t like. And knowing his father, this would not end well.

Sighing, he brought his english test back up to his face, studying the few missed questions and his final score. A C. He knew the test would be a harder one, and yet he didn’t study or prep in any way given. With a huff, he dropped the paper to the ground. He had been working hard on his grades and keeping a close eye on them, so he knew that this score would cause a rather big drop in his overall english score.

Gathering up all the strength he could muster, he got off his bed and headed out of his room. Going up the stairs, he saw his dad in the living room with two of his siblings, simply watching tv. Henry gave him a suspicious look as John spoke, “Dad? I… Have something I need to tell you…”

Hesitantly, while all eyes were on him, John murmured, “On the english test today, I got a C…” Henry stared at him.

“Son, you knew the test would be hard. You knew you should have studied--”  
“Sir, I know, but--”  
“Don’t interrupt me, John. You knew you should have studied, but what did you do instead? Ignore your responsibilities, unlike a true member of the Laurens household. Even that french kid got an A, like you said earlier.”  
“Dad, I’m sorry--”  
“EH, sorry doesn’t cut it, John. Try harder next time and maybe you’ll earn back my respect,” Henry spat, eyes narrowed. The children around him tried to ignore the scene happening before them.

“I… Of course, dad…” John mumbled, turning around quickly and going back into his room. He swore he heard his father mutter, ‘Useless…’ Shit, fuck, he’s going to have to be getting straight As and study all the time, day and night until he can recite his studies word by word, by his dad’s choice of words! He’ll have no time to hang with the guys or anything other than what his dad needs him to do…

He won’t even be able to meet that Alex that George was speaking so highly of until Monday rolls around…

\-----  
Part 2: Flash of the Past

“Alex, this guy’s hair is so cool! I love it! And this one…,” Daveed was saying all of this while the teens talked. “This one looks like Oak! As a matter a fact, where is Oak? I’m surprised he isn’t here yet,” he said, rubbing his chin in thought. Lin was standing by Alex’s chair, shaking his head at the other hallucination.

Hercules lowered his brow at the teen sitting in front of him. He was… Looking at something. Watching something by Lafayette. But to the other teen’s knowledge, there was nothing there. Didn’t George say something about that? Like, ‘Alex has been… Acting strangely, but he won’t tell us what for. He’s already had a panic attack and swore he saw us dying, and during dinner, he acted like there was something… Happening, that we couldn’t see. I’ve got my suspicions for what’s going on, but I want him to trust us enough to at least tell us what it is before jumping to conclusions. Alright?’

The teen lowered his head and let out a snort. George really did want what’s best for Alex, and that’s honestly all that matters. Looking back at Alex, he could tell, now, that he just looked tired. Not so much physically, but just... Exhausted. And seeing his eyes, how much has he been sleeping?

Not much, that’s for sure. Every time Alex tried to sleep, he was woken up shortly after by a nightmare or something like that. Plus his hallucinations keep him up a lot longer than he’d like… He gave a sharp glare at Daveed for a moment before looking back at the teens in front of him. They were at an awkward silence, neither of the parties saying anything. Alex tried to keep his eyes on the floor, but every few moments, he would look up at the other teens, and Laf would flash him a smile every once in awhile.

Finally, Lafayette just asked, trying not to sound impatient, “Are we just going to sit here and do nothing, mes amies? Let’s go eat the brownies I baked, oui?” Without waiting for an answer from the others, the frenchman jumped up from their seat and cheerfully stepped out of the room and into the kitchen.

Alex hesitated before standing up and following him, glancing over at Hercules, who was still seated, simply looking downwards. Although, with his beanie slipping over his eyes, it was hard to tell if he was actually looking at the ground or not… Frowning nervously, the teen ignored Hercules as best as he could as he walked in the kitchen behind Lafayette. Honestly, Mulligan was kind of scaring him. He looked suspicious, the same way that George looked while at the dinner table.

Gulping, Alex came to a conclusion. They suspected something was up. They knew something was not right with him. And if they found out the truth… He shook his head. No. Stop thinking about the bad things that COULD happen. ‘Think about the present, Alex, think about the present…’ he thought anxiously, giving a small smile at Lafayette as they turned around to see if they were being followed by the other teens.

“Madame Washington! Is it alright if we have the brownies I baked for the arrival of notre cher Alexander?” The frenchman asked, his hands clasped together. Martha turned around and smiled at him, holding an unclean pot.

“Sure, Laffy! I just put it on the little table by the railing over there. It should still at least be warm, if not hot,” Then she turned back around to continue washing the dishes with George.

Once Laf noticed the small table, they walked towards it and picked up the pan with foil covering it. They also motioned for Alex and Hercules, who had just suddenly appeared behind Alex, to follow them into the dining room. Once the teens were all seated around the dining table, Lafayette took the foil off the pan and revealed the milk chocolate brownies inside. They still seemed fairly warm, so it was obvious the frenchman had baked them just a little while ago. And oh jesus, the smell… Alex was practically in a trance, almost drooling at the sight of the delicious treats.

Hercules must have noticed this and chuckled. “You look like you’ve never had a brownie before,” he stated, observing Alex closely while trying to hold in his laughter. The immigrant from Nevis frowned.

“I… probably have only had them a few times. Like, 5 times maybe?” Those five times were when he was lucky and was able to have at least one brownie, and that was… back with the Stevens? And once or twice in the foster home. So yeah, he’s rarely had brownies.

Lafayette gasped. “Mon petit lion! You must have one! They are so delightful, and I honestly cannot comprehend how you have had so little of this treat in your life!” They exclaimed, picking up one of the already cut slices from the pan and reaching across the table to hand it to Alex. They were grinning widely at him, however, they were almost always grinning, so that was nothing new.

The teen slowly took it from him, watching with slightly wary eyes, even though there was nothing to be afraid of. With hesitancy, Alex brought the brownie up to his mouth and took a small bite out of it. He blinked. In all honesty, it was pretty good! He looked up at Lafayette and murmured, “I like it.” And that was all it took for them to giggle in happiness.

However, the silence that washed over the room as the boys ate the brownies let Alex have time to think. Specifically about his rule of no speech. He was already breaking it terribly, and making friends? Oh jesus, what was he thinking? Anything could happen at this point, and it would be all because of him! All because of him and his stupid--

Why was the room getting smokey? It was like a thick, black smog was forming in the room. It made it kind of hard to breathe actually, and by the second he could feel it going into his lungs, causing him to begin to panic. Oh jesus, what happened? Had something happened in the kitchen? Why is there shouting and gunfire, was there a battle going on? Just what the hell was happening??

At that moment, Alex saw a flash of red in the corner of his eye, a red coat. A redcoat. With a blue bandanna wrapped around his head, it looked like Hercules… He held a gun in his hand, and seemed to be coming towards Alex, but it wasn't easy to tell if he meant to inflict harm on Alex or not, so continuously taking steps backwards seemed to be his best bet.

Suddenly he whipped around, and they both turned to see a blue coat, a rebel, leaping at Hercules with the fearsomeness of an angry lynx. It was Lafayette, and the way their face was contorted in pure anger, it didn't seem like they recognized Hercules. And neither did the latter.

In midair, Lafayette took his gun and shot. He aimed directly at Hercules’ head, and Hercules did the same with his gun, at the frenchman. The bangs were so loud that Alex scrambled to cover up his ears, squeezing his eyes shut so he wouldn’t have to witness the bloody scene in front of him.

The sound of two bullets hitting the two men’s skulls was sickening. Alex’s gut twisted at it, and he had to turn away, no matter what, he could not see that mess. He would, for sure, have to vomit at that point. Opening his eyes again, he saw that he had turned around to witness a battlefield. Redcoats and rebels were fighting left and right, black and white soldiers alike. Gunshots rang out and the loud booms of cannons in the distance were terrifying. What was worse, however, were the horses' loud neighs of death and men’s cries of horror and…

The groaning of Lafayette behind him. “Mon petit lion… Everything is okay…” He groaned, sending a sickening voice into the air. Little lion… That’s what they called him back in camp. Back before he got his command. That’s right… These are his soldiers he’s leading into battle, these are his soldiers that the redcoats keep killing off. Hercules was a spy, Lafayette was a commander.

Then why was Hercules shot? Why was Lafayette killed? What the hell--

“Alexander, please,” Hercules whispered, suddenly appearing in front of the terrified commander. However, his forehead had a big fucking hole in the middle of it, with blood dripping out and just, oh god. And his eyes were glazed over, like he should be dead but he just isn’t.

Hamilton jumped backwards in terror, almost tripping over Lafayette’s dead body. He had to get away. He has to retreat. Quickly, the commander turned tail and began racing away from battle, away from his dead friends, onto a path that led into a town, a town where passerby were staring at him with confused expressions, a town where he fell and came crashing down onto the stone walkways, the town in which he looked up with blurry eyes and George Washington was looking down at him, expression unreadable.

All Hamilton… No, Alex, could feel was pain. And then it all faded away. From the past, to the present, to blackness.

\--

As soon as Alex began looking uneasy, Lafayette was worried. Had they done something wrong, maybe with the brownies, that upset him? They frowned and gave a quick glance at Hercules. He was noticing Alex’s change in behavior as well. Though, Laf knew Hercules well enough that he could pick out the smallest of details and already know what was up with anyone. Even the teachers or parents or other students. Herc was honestly the most observant person he knew, as well as stealthiest.

It definitely scared the frenchman once Alex started going into panic mode, his eyes darting side to side and his breathing growing very unsteady. The teen started murmuring incoherent things, and that’s when Hercules called into the kitchen, “George, Martha, come here, quickly.” His speech was calm, but the tone was urgent enough to show that it was important.

Hercules got out of his seat, and that seemed to alert Alex. He slowly went around the table to approach him, but in just a few moments, Alex had jumped out of his seat, backing up whenever the bigger teen took a step towards him. George had just come out of the kitchen, and Martha was directly behind him. He gave a questioning glance to Lafayette, who was just getting up out of their seat.

Lafayette noticed that in the way that Hercules was approaching him, Alex would only keep backing up. The frenchman slowly held their hand up, trying to show his friend that it would not help anything if he continued. Herc saw his motion, and nodded, stopping in his tracks.

Although it seemed like the best course of action, Alex only appeared more scared than ever. As if he’d just watched someone die, right in front of his eyes. He gasped loudly, now looking away, and to the living room. He watched whatever he was seeing with panicked eyes, no one approaching him or saying anything, except for Lafayette. “Mon petit lion… Everything is okay,” They murmured calmly, trying to think of anything they could do to get Alex to settle down.

He didn’t react much to it, simply turned his head downwards and closed his eyes. Hercules took this moment to try and at least get nearer to him. This time, he couldn’t back away if he couldn’t see him. “Alexander, please,” He whispered, Alex blinking up at him in pure shock. His eyes widened as he looked at Mulligan, and the teen jumped backwards, mainly in fear. He almost bumped into Laffy, but noticed him right before he would’ve.

He backed up into the living room, watching the scene before him with scared eyes, before whipping around and running out of the room, slamming the front door open, and dashing out of the house. Lafayette was the first one to take action, charging out of the Washington’s home, with the rest of the group behind them.

Lafayette skidded to a halt as he saw Alex lose his footing and fall onto the pathway, hard. He had his left hand outstretched and at an angle, so the frenchman could only try and imagine the sharp flash of pain he felt when he fell. The frenchman approached Alex, their hands clasped together tightly, hoping that his new friend was alright. “Alexander…?” He whispered, watching as Alex flipped himself onto his back as best as he could. Lafayette flinched as they observed the way the teen was holding onto the hand he landed on. Then, George gently pushed them out of the way so he could get to Alex himself.

He kneeled over his foster son, inspecting him carefully. As soon as the teen closed his eyes and went limp, George picked him up and turned around to address the group.

“It appears as though he’s sprained his wrist. Not too badly, but enough for it to hurt pretty badly if he moves it too much. “ He paused to look down at his knees, “And, his knees, as you can see, are fairly scratched up.” They were. His pants were now ripped up, right on his knees, so now you could see the scratches and the blood running from them quite clearly. Lafayette could feel Hercules cringe next to them. They’d only met the teen about 30 minutes ago, and already THIS happened.

As George carried Alex back to the house with the rest of the group behind him, Laf stayed back for a moment. They had to gather their thoughts.

They hadn’t gotten any messages from John all day. Maybe he couldn’t come over like they’d originally hoped? At least to me Alexander, he’d said. Lowering their gaze to the sidewalk, Lafayette sighed.

It was quite obvious something was deeply wrong with Alex. What else had George said? Something like, ‘We know it might be a bit earlier to be assuming things, but we’re fairly certain Alex could have Schizophrenia. So like I said, please be nice to him and let him open up to us before asking too much. However, if anything big happens to where we have to ask, we will.’

“Poor Alexander… I wonder what’s happened to cause all of this to come about?” Lafayette murmured to themself, turning and looking at the group heading back to the house. Taking another deep breath, they hurried to catch up with the others.

‘I can only hope mon petit lion will be okay,’ Was the frenchman’s last thought before grabbing Hercules’ hand… For safety reasons… Of course.

It was odd, though. Lafayette swore they felt eyes on them. Though turning around and looking behind, there was no one there. They clenched tightly onto Hercules’ hand.

“Are you alright, Laffy?” He asked quietly, looking at him with concerned eyes. The frenchman gave a reassuring wave with their free hand and murmured in the same low tone, “Oh, I’m fine mon cher. I promise. I just… Can only hope that mon petit lion will be alright…”

Hercules let out soft chuckle and whispered in reply, “Don’t worry Laf. He’s in our family now, and now we’re the only family he’s got. We’re gonna help him as much as we can, and nothing’s gonna knock us down. Alright?”

Lafayette let out a breath and whispered, with a small smile on their face, “Alright mon cher, Hercules.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh jesus guys thank you so much for all your support on this, all the kudos and bookmarks and comments... Honestly, this is going much better than how i thought it would!!
> 
> Again, thank you all so much and I'll try to update as fast as I can, especially with school starting and shit :/  
> Also, please talk to me on any of my accounts:  
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	5. The Backstory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ALEX IS DISCOVERED

Slowly, very slowly, Hamilton blinked open his eyes, still very out of it. He heard muffled voices, and it sounded almost as if he were in a medical bay. Assuming that’s where he was, he immediately began trying to process what’d even happened. He remembers running… Lafayette and Hercules died, and George Washington was above him, watching him with a blank expression.

God, had he really retreated from that battle? Dammit, he’d lose his command now, his hard earned--

“Alexander? Hey, are you awake?” He heard a woman’s voice. Reopening his eyes after not realizing he’d even closed them, he saw a few people in the room with him. It looked like… A dark-haired nurse, George Washington, and… Lafayette and Hercules?

But… They died! He saw them shoot each other, right in their heads! What the hell was going on..?

“Son? Are you feeling okay?” Hamilton looked over at George, eyes narrowed just the slightest.

“I’m not… Your son...” He mumbled, lifting his right hand to rub his eyes. His left, and injured hand, appeared to be attached to a splint and bandages, trying to hold it in place. It was fairly numbed at this moment, so the good part is that he can’t feel any pain from it.

George let out a sigh, giving Hamilton a small smile and shaking his head in amusement. Lafayette approached him next, walking up to the medical bed that the soldier was laid on.

They gave him a nervous grin and told Hamilton, “Mon ami, I was so scared when you got hurt. You’re alright now, though, oui? No pain?”

Instead of answering that, Hamilton started, “But, why are you worrying about me? You got shot point blank in the head by Mulligan, and vice versa! You died!” The frenchman gasped.

“W-What? Why I would never! Especially not to mon cher, Hercules!” They grabbed their dear Hercules by the arm to show emphasis. “He would never, either!” They frowned dramatically and glanced over at Mulligan, who wore a shocked expression on his face.

Shaking his head, Hercules murmured, “Alex, you began panicking and fled from the house. Then you fell on your hand, spraining it not too badly but also scraping up your knees in the process. No one was shot by anyone.” He gave Hamilton a questioning look, confused as to what he was even talking about.

“Fled from the house? W-what house?” Alex sputtered out, “I retreated from ba--” He stopped in the middle of the word. He was in the Washingtons' house, in the living room, on the big couch. Wait, but… Didn’t he run from battle? He… He was a commander, he was leading his own battalion for crying out loud! What… What happened? What had he been seeing?

“You retreated from..?” Martha tried to get him to continue, speaking from the chair that was only across the room. However, if Alex were to confess to all he’d seen and HAS been seeing, they would know. They would know all about him and his disease. They’d probably kick him out and leave him on the streets to fend for himself. The teen glanced around the room.

Lin and Daveed were there… As well as Okieriete Onaodowan. Heh, what a nice time for him to come along… The hallucinations weren't doing anything abnormal, simply whispering amongst each other while they kept their eyes on Alex and the people around him.

Looking back at the group of people who were waiting for him to say something, he made a decision. Waiting was no longer an option. So, as reluctant and scared he was to do it, Alex took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to tell his story.

\--

“Mom! Welcome back!” A young child, around 10 years old bounded up to his mother who had just gotten back from her job as a waitress in a nearby restaurant. It was about 9 pm, around the time that the mother would usually come back from her second job. Her first job was being a cashier at a nearby general store, and the times for that varied. The second job was what she just came from, and that was 3 pm to 9 pm.

“Hello, my sweet Alexander! Did you have a good day at school?” She asked, crouching down a bit to meet her son’s height. He nodded vigorously, his fists clenched in excitement.

“Yes!” He exclaimed, “Peter, Charles, and I presented our group project to the class today, and I think ours was the best. We put a lot of work into it!” He motioned with his hands as he spoke, grinning widely as he continued on about the rest of his day.

As he talked, his mother went into the kitchen to prepare dinner, even though it was very late. This was the normal time, unless her husband made food for once, then it was around 6 that he and the kids would eat. Today would just be frozen chicken and canned vegetables.

Around when dinner was about finished, Alex’s older brother, James, walked into the kitchen to join in with his brother and mother about whatever they were talking about. Alex definitely enjoyed his company, even though he did not at all talk as much as the 10-year old did.

Rachel was just finishing up with dinner when her husband came storming into the room. She turned around, a brow raised in confusion. “James, is something wrong?” She asked as he stared at her with a hurt and angered expression. The kids also watched in confusion.

“Rachel, we need to talk. Privately,” he growled, stomping back out of the kitchen and into their bedroom. Alex’s mother cast a nervous glance at the kids before finally following her husband.

Not five minutes had passed until the bedroom door was slammed open and a pissed James and upset Rachel came out of it.

“No, I’m leaving, Rachel. For your sake and mine. Nothing can change my mind,” He hissed, making his way to the exit of the house. “I’m sorry. It’s for the best,” he muttered, stepping outside and slamming the door shut. Rachel looked after him with tears beginning to well in her eyes.

She couldn’t believe it… How could she be so terrible at hiding things? How did he even find out? Rachel felt a hand grab her own, and she looked down at it to see a young Alexander gazing up at her with sad eyes.

“Mom, where’s Dad going?” He asked quietly, knowing something was seriously wrong, but not believing it to be true. Alex’s mother let out a sigh and whispered, “I don’t know.”

“But he’s not coming back.”

\--

Ever since that day, it’d definitely been harder for the Hamiltons. James was a big supplier of money for the household, and losing him was like losing the foundations of an old house. It can still work correctly without it, but there’s always a feeling that something’s wrong, that something should be supporting it. However, they never got the feeling back. In fact, it only grew ever worse for them.

It was only two years later, Alex was 12 now, and his mother was not fairing well. In fact, she was very ill. They hadn’t enough money to go to a hospital and try and see what the disease is. However, it was still fairly easy to tell that she was most likely going to pass from it. Alex was also very sick, although it definitely was not with whatever Rachel had.

Alex’s brother, 25 at this point, would be working extra hard for the money that their mother would usually earn. He simply wanted his mother and brother to survive, so he’d do whatever he could to help them make it through this.

James walked into the house one day, trying to keep an optimistic air, though the bedroom in which his mother and brother lay in was filled with sorrow and dread. Both of the sick feared for each other, neither wanting the other to die here. As James entered the room, his peaceful facade faded and he frowned, looking at the two, Alex’s mother holding him tightly, and him doing the same to her.

“Hey, guys… Anything looking good?” James whispered cheerfully, hoping for good news. Though none, of course, would come from either of the victims of illness. Alex did, however, open his eyes and blink up at his brother. It was pitiful really, to see such a cheerful and talkative child behaving in such a quiet way, and with such sadness in his eyes.

“Uh… No… Heh,” James’ little brother rasped out, eyes squinted a bit. “Mother hasn’t really… Moved much at all. I don’t… I don’t think she’s doing--” Alex was cut off by a sudden bunch of coughing, the type that seriously hurts your throat. He didn’t have to finish his sentence, though. James knew it wasn’t looking good for their mom.

To James’ surprise, though, his mother slowly blinked open her eyes and mumbled, “James…? Sweety, is that you…?” Alex’s brother bit his lip and nodded. “Yeah, it’s me, mom, is there anything you need?”

She shook her head as if it would fall off if she moved it too fast. “No. Though, James... I just want to ask you one thing…” Said adult made his way hesitantly towards the bed, standing right at his mother’s side. “Yeah, Mom?” Alex was watching in anticipation as well, wondering what their mother’s request was.

“I want… I want you to take care of Alex. Make sure he lives a good life… I love you both so much… I wish I could show you…” She trailed off, her head turning back to Alex. Though she wasn’t looking at him. She wasn’t even moving.

Alex stared at her in confusion, then pure shock. “No…” He murmured, trying to get into a better position to hold her. “No, no, no no no NO!” He cried out, tears streaming down his face. James even felt a few come down his cheeks as well. He couldn’t believe it.

She was gone.

\--

It’d been about one and a half years since Alex and James’ mother had died. They were faring pretty alright, what with living anywhere they could and getting any food that was available.

Though today was going to bring big changes to their life. Today was the day that Alex was to be arranged to live with the Stevens family, Thomas and Edward Stevens. They’d met each other before, and Alex and Edward knew each other from school, so they already had a bond. Once they found out how Alex was living, the Stevens and James came to an agreement. They’d lend James money to live on his own, and they’d take in Alexander.

James and his little brother walked along the sidewalk, the one that led the way to the Stevens’ house. Alex looked down at the ground as he walked, going over what he had in his backpack, what he should say to the Stevens, and everything that could possibly go wrong with them. Words couldn’t even express how scared he was at this moment… He just wished he could go back to 3 and a half years ago, back to when everything was fine and his dad hadn’t left and his mother hadn’t died. Everything had gone to shit since that day.

James tapped his brother on the shoulder, and Alex looked up to see that they were already at the house. Gulping, the kid followed his brother up to the door of the house, trying not to tremble in fear. He would soon be losing his only other family member, what with the fact that there would be no way to contact James after this. He could only hope that everything would be okay, and that nothing would go wrong.

His brother knocked on the Stevens’ door, waiting about 10 seconds for the door to be opened, with Thomas Stevens standing right in the doorway, a big smile plastered onto his face. “James, Alex! Hello!” He welcomed them right away, allowing them to step inside the house so that they could discuss what would be happening. Edward was right behind Thomas, smiling at Alex as he entered their home.

“Hey, Alex! I guess today’s a pretty big day, right?” He asked, to which Alex could only nod to, as his words were stuck in his throat and he couldn’t get a single sound out. Edward gave him a sympathetic smile, trying to at least relieve Alex somewhat of his worries about this whole ordeal. He, of course, didn’t know of the fact that Alex was beginning to realize that the more he talked, the more that went wrong with his life. The teen was starting to be reluctant about talking, realizing he should savor every moment that he allowed himself to utter even a single word.

So that’s why he decided that maybe it was for the best to stop talking totally. Make it a rule, a rule to remind himself not to speak, or else some other messed up thing will come unto his life. He’ll call it… His Rule of No Speech. Yeah, that had a nice ring to it. No rambling, no lectures, no speaking unless the situation desperately called for it.

“Well, hey, we should probably leave the adults to their talking. We don’t have to hear their discussion about this situation.” He paused, glancing at some stairs heading upwards that were directly to his left. “How about I get you all settled in? I know you’d been to our house before, but I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping, and then you’ll also be able to put your stuff down.” Although Alex hadn’t brought much in his pack, it definitely held important things in it.

His mother’s beautiful silver necklace with a shimmery green Tsavorite attached to it at the end was among those important things. As well as a notebook and a few pencils and a pen that he brought with him. God, if he was ever separated from his notebook, he would definitely break down. His mother gave it to him just a couple years ago, before they both got sick, and before she…

Alex walked up the stairs, right behind Edward. In all honesty, the Stevens were the best people for Alex to live with. They had enough money to afford the essentials of life, unlike Alex, seeing as how their money and possessions were taken from them by their mother’s other son, and Alex’s half-brother. They even took away their books! Thankfully, though, the son gave them back after a few months, supposedly remembering something about how his half brother really liked to read.

On another note, Edward was one of his best friends from school, and Alex could usually go to him if something was wrong. And that’s what he did. Alex told Edward everything about their situation, and how things were not looking bright for them. Thankfully, he took everything in with a kind heart and told his father everything that his best friend said. Thomas then decided to try and arrange a sort of adoption for Alex, to try and get him to be able to live with them.

Edward really was a good guy, and he was definitely someone the teen could trust. He would tell him about any problems he had, and Edward would respond to him seriously, and with fairly good advice on how to handle the problem. It was like, Edward could just TELL what he was going through, like as if he were Alex’s brother. And, he kinda was. The two treated each other like siblings, and even more so than how James and Alex would treat each other. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if the two teens were actually brothers, even half brothers?

\--

Alex was only just coming back from his emotional slump when disaster struck. Of all things, there had to be a hurricane. The aftermath was even worse. He felt like he should have died, he should have, but he didn’t. Not only that, but he was unable to find Thomas and Edward anywhere. He didn’t know if they’d died or disappeared or what, but all he knew is that for once, he was fending for himself.

He put his hands on his face, wondering what he could do to get out of this situation, to get out of Nevis. And that’s when it came to him. He was a survivor, a witness, he could tell his way out of the island! He could write about what he saw and send it to a publisher, he could finally let people hear his voice after all of this!

So that’s what he did. He wrote day and night, in the wreckage of the Stevens’ home, in the mess that the hurricane had caused. God, it was terrible. Though he had to write. He had to escape.

‘I could not believe my eyes,  
I could not believe the things I was seeing,  
Houses ripped apart, Trees tossed around,  
I cannot help this somber feeling.

The feeling that the world has crashed,  
Just below my feet,  
The feeling that I’ve lost all I had,  
Everything besides this sheet.

The fear of drowning, of dying before 20,  
The fear that all hope’d been lost,  
The fear that nothing will return to normal,  
The knowledge that we’d suffered a terrible cost.

I watched outside,  
The lightning strike,  
The rumbling of thunder,  
Everyone’s screams sound alike.

Where has my family gone?  
They’ve gone with the wind,  
Disappeared without a trace,  
This terror-stricken look will not leave my face.

Amidst the wreckage,  
I search for any signs,  
Any signs of life,  
Anything that looks benign.

However, it was not over yet.  
The storm raged around me,  
But here in the eye,  
It’s quiet, I almost feel glee.

The calm of the storm,  
The eye of the hurricane,  
For just a moment,  
I see a yellow sky.

I did not think, though,  
To prepare for the worst,  
For it was only the eye,  
And we all should know,

The yellow sky lasts for only a matter of time.’

As he wrote, he recalled the events, the visions of what he’d seen in the storm, trapped inside a house that had been shredded to pieces. He had cried out for Thomas, for Edward, for James and his mother. They were gone, they had disappeared, he would never see them again.

The thunder roared its terrible roar, the lightning danced about in the sky, as if almost happy it was destroying his town, burning everything to the ground. The way the wind and hail battered down on his shelter, causing loud thunks and crashes. The rain was pouring, no, pelting down, for if you were hit by a single drop, it would sting like a bee’s. The hail was even worse. It was like having a million golf balls chucked at you by a stunningly strong motor, and even if you protected yourself, it would only just barely help.

Alex felt like he was drowning in the rain, drowning in the hurricane, the water just KEPT COMING. It would never stop, and if he tried to leave his now broken shelter, he would be killed by the winds and hail, maybe even struck by the lightning. God, the trees thrashed like there would be no tomorrow, and wreckage from houses whipped this way and that, and Alex was sure he was going to die here.

He would drown, he would get hit, he would DIE. Everything was dark, everything was hurting, it was a terrifying moment, a moment he would never forget. It was like as if he were trapped in a locker by some horrendous monster, and he had to hold his breath to make sure he wasn’t caught by the creature. He could NOT die here, he wasn’t going to allow himself to.

All of his willpower was focused on staying on the solid ground, at least stay on something so that he wouldn’t drown in his ruined house, all he wanted was to NOT DIE. The only thing the teen could feel was pure terror, he was shocked and scared out of his wits, making it hard to control his breathing. He could feel the rain pelting down on him from the now open parts of the roof of the house, and he could feel the water from the storm continuously rising in the wrecked house.

Multiple times he felt like he was going to drown, multiple times he lost control of his breathing and almost DID drown. Though, all the way through, he was horrified. He felt like the end was here, he felt like no matter what he did, he wouldn’t make it through this, so numerous times, he almost let himself go down, go down into the water and drown in it, let himself die so that he didn’t have to deal with trying to stay afloat anymore.

And just in a moment, everything was calm. Alex gasped for breath, grabbing onto a giant nearby branch that had fallen inside of his once home, to help him stay afloat. He took about a minute to regather himself, and then he surveyed the area around him. The house was always on lower ground, so it was vulnerable to flooding, although they rarely got floods. Just terrible storms.

The house was in a dip in the land, so a lot of water had flooded the surrounding areas. As Alex pushed himself around in the water, he looked for a wide hole in the roof, a big enough one so that he could sit up on it and see the damage that’d been done to surrounding homes.

After a few close calls with drowning, Alex had managed to find a hole and also haul himself up and out of the house, sitting down on the roof to view the area. It was horrible. Terrifying, even, to say that he had lasted through all of this. Cars were scattered and tossed around, trees and plants ripped out of the ground and their ruined leaves littered the ground in every direction. Other houses were destroyed, ruined by the hurricane’s wind and hail and rain…

It was horrible. And the worst part was, he didn't see Thomas or Edward anywhere. And there was no chance that he would go down and look for them yet. Alex was drenched and freezing, and all around not in a good place right now.

The teen looked up into the sky. It was yellow. A yellow sky… While the rest of the hurricane raged around him and the island, he was right in the eye. And for just a moment, it was quiet. It was dead silent, he heard nothing and saw nothing, besides the sky.

And as he looked up, he was only vaguely aware of the rain that began to drizzle onto him, the rain that would be returning for more destruction. For he was only in the eye, and that meant only minutes before the hurricane raged once more.

\--

When Alex had found out that the community of Nevis had gathered enough money to send him to New York, he didn't believe it. Apparently, it was because of the poem he’d written, describing the events of the hurricane. His emotions during the hurricane. Everyone was so touched by it that they had to get him away from this place, and send him off to New York, where he could be a new man.

When he was on the small plane, he still hadn’t believed it. Alex couldn't figure out why they'd done it, and he guessed he never would, now that he didn't have any real way to contact them… He only had a small backpack full of stuff, so he didn't have to worry about space being an issue. All he knew was that it was arranged for him to be going into a foster home once he got into New York. It couldn’t’ve been that bad, right..?

Oh, how wrong he was. Right as he showed up at the place, he could tell he was not going to enjoy his time there. The other teens and kids that were there always made him feel like crap, and he hated them right back. His social worker, Sammy, was pretty nice, though. They did their best to try and make Alex’s time at the place less shitty.

Plus, the food there kinda sucked. It was like a really bad public school’s food. And Alex knew how that food tasted, having been on a kinda poor island for all of his life. Plus, if you were even two minutes late to when they called for lunch, dinner, or breakfast, they wouldn’t serve you any food. So Alex had gotten into habit of not eating as much as he should’ve. And it didn’t look like anyone but Sammy cared about Alex’s health.

And the worst part was, Alex had gotten back into his habit of talking too much. That was one thing that drove the other kids there insane. One day, though, when they were outside in the foster home’s fields, Alex saw a man standing about 5 yards away from him. No one seemed to notice him besides the teen, which made him extremely confused. He’d never seen him before, and he didn’t seem like he came here to adopt a kid… He didn’t even seem to take notice of any kid besides Alex.

From where he was sitting in the grass, Alex stood up and began to back away a bit, certain that something was very wrong. The man noticed this action and called out to him, saying, “Hey, kid, Alex, I’m not gonna do anything to you…” Alex stared around at the other kids in the field. How did nobody notice this man? And how did he know his name?! Approaching the teen, the man said in a soft voice, “I’m Lin. Lin-Manuel Miranda. I’m gonna be sticking around with you for a while, bud.”

The teen didn't know what to say, and Lin noticed this. “Hey! It’s fine, kiddo, we’re gonna be the best of pals, just you and a figment of your imagination!” Alex could feel his jaw drop. He wasn't serious, was he?! Then again, how else did nobody see him? He must be going insane or some shit… Oh god…

Lin let out a bark of laughter and clapped the teen on the back. He could feel his hand. “Oh boy, we’re gonna have so much fun!” And from that moment on, Alex declared himself officially insane.

\--

As time went on, a few more people appeared, Oak, Daveed, a few others… And the Company. The Company were a bunch of gray figures that all talked at once, usually causing chaos in Alex’s head. He hated them.

Sure, they might've tried to help him from time to time, but he wasn't going to take advice from a bunch of gray people with mouths as their only facial feature. They were creepy, in all honesty. If only the other kids could see these people…

Speaking of the other kids, those asses would be running around, spreading rumors that Alex was insane, successfully making him lose all hope of getting ANY friends in this shitty place. Finally, the direct berating and name calling and pure hatred for Alex and his moments of talking to Lin and them got to be enough.

It got to the point where he stopped talking, remade his rule, The Rule of No Speech. He would not speak unless in emergencies, and even then his words would be limited. He couldn't let himself or anyone be hurt anymore, and this lasted for about… 3 months or so.

Slowly, the hallucinations were fading away, until Lin was the last one. He had just looked down and when Alex looked at where Lin was just standing, he was gone. Just like everyone else Alex had ever cared about.

Then he found out he was being adopted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so, this took a lot of needed motivation to write, and plus, i just.... Agh.  
> i also forgot to include peter lytton in this ' ͜> .
> 
> the chapter might seem written poorly and disinteresting bc i only got 2 good reviews on it and that was when it was finished already, or near finishing.... so yeah : )
> 
> im not proud of this chapter, but i hope you guys like it

**Author's Note:**

> oh fuck duuuuudes, i am stoked to start writing this! I have like 2 people who may help me edit from time to time, but other than that... This is pretty much my own. I get a few ideas from other fanfics maybe, but for the most part, this is original! Other than that, I hope you like the fanfic!  
> And as you can see, at the end of each chapter I'm going to have a word count- I am very hard on myself about the amount of words I put into a story, soo... And this story WILL be uploaded in multiple places.  
> Ao3: dreaminq: ur here  
> Fanfiction: dream-inq: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12070256/1/The-Rule-Of-No-Speech  
> Tumblr: dreaminq-ink: unreleased  
> Wattpad: dream-inq: story/79402950-the-rule-of-no-speech  
> Other than that... Have a good day, and peace out fuckerrrsss


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